


Samhain

by Caedmon



Series: Doctor/Rose Prompts [5]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Halloween, Kidnapping, Psychological Torture, Telepathy, protective!Nine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-27
Updated: 2015-10-27
Packaged: 2018-04-28 11:44:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 14,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5089502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caedmon/pseuds/Caedmon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor, Rose and Jack visit the planet Samhain, which is dedicated to the celebration of Halloween. It's supposed to be a fun day, but things never turn out that way for our heroes, do they?</p><p>Written for the TimePetalsPrompts Halloween bingo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Movie Night

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: A character in this story is attacked and tortured psychologically; told things that are not true in an attempt to break them down. Proceed at your own risk. 
> 
> The usual:  
> ~HUGE BIG THANKS to SequenceFairy for beta-ing for me!  
> ~That said, every single solitary mistake is mine.  
> ~I own some things. Some of them are pretty sweet. Doctor Who is not one of them.  
> ~If you're reading this, you are appreciated and loved. Just so you know. Any feedback you could leave is beyond appreciated, and helps make me a better writer.  
> ~caedmonfaith.tumblr.com

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor watches a scary movie with Rose and Jack, and they discuss their love (or lack thereof) for scary things.
> 
> bingo words: monster, scream

The Doctor wasn’t much of a fan of horror movies. He figured he’d seen enough of the horrors the universe could dish out to last him quite a few lifetimes, thank you. Besides, most of the time the monsters in the films that the apes of Earth came up with weren’t even that frightening. The aliens certainly weren’t, and not remotely realistic. If he were going to relax and watch the telly, he’d much rather watch something intelligent or even light-hearted. Something that didn’t remind him of the evils of the universe. 

However, he was traveling with two humans at the moment and those two humans seemed to have a taste for the chilling and the macabre, especially the jovial Time Agent who was currently munching popcorn, pointing at the screen with a hand full to overflowing with the buttery snack and near-shouting with something like delight, “Oh, that was stupid! Shouldn’t have answered the phone!” 

The Doctor took a deep breath and shook his head an infinitesimal amount, telling himself that different people coped with the horrors of the universe in different ways and that, although Captain Jack hadn’t been alive anywhere near as long as he, the time agent had seen quite a bit and was nowhere near an innocent. Jack had seen death, destruction and horrible things that were likely to scar the psyche. Perhaps this is just how the randy captain coped. The Doctor tried hard not to judge. Besides, there was an added bonus to scary movies…

An eerie, hissing voice came through the phone into the young, pretty blonde’s ear on the screen in front of them, just before the door burst open and a tall beast with a forked tongue, scaly skin and snakes protruding from various points of its body came gliding into the room, hissing violently at the screaming girl still clutching the phone. 

Rose gave a shrill yelp from her place snuggled beside the Doctor. She buried her face into his chest and covered her head with the pink blanket he kept lying across the back of the couch just for her, clutching his torso, trembling and holding tightly to him. He pulled her closer indulgently, smiling as he did. This was the bonus of watching scary movies. 

“S’alright, Rose. I’ve got you. It’s just a daft film,” he murmured to the pink lump that was her head resting over his hearts. 

“Ha! Told you that was going to happen, Rose!” Jack crowed, completely oblivious to Rose having hidden her face in fright and falling back into the opposite end of the couch, jamming more popcorn into his mouth. “Never answer the phone in a horror movie! Especially you, Rose. The pretty, blonde girls are always the first to go.”

The Doctor glowered at Jack, who grinned back cheekily. “What?” he asked, the picture of innocence. 

The Doctor ignored him and stroked Rose’s arm lightly. “It’s over now, Rose. You can look again, if you’d like.”

Rose poked her head out from beneath the blanket, peeking at the screen and tucking the blanket under her chin so that she could see when she realized that the scene had changed. She relaxed her hold on the Doctor only a little, staying snuggled close to him and the Doctor relaxed fully, contentedly drawing little circles on her arm and playing idly with her hair while they watched. He luxuriated in these little moments of intimacy with Rose, even if he shouldn’t be allowing them at all - she was his companion and best mate, and thoroughly off-limits as a result. But she was frightened and needed comfort, right? Of course. He had to provide what comfort he could. Naturally.

Rose hid her face only two more times (although Jack provided quite illustrative commentary throughout so she didn’t miss a thing), and the Doctor found himself not quite sure if he were glad or disappointed when the monster fell, screaming an unearthly scream, into the swirling blades in a factory’s preparation center, leaving it chopped to bits and utterly dead. 

“There’s a sequel, you know,” Jack said, tossing up a piece of popcorn and catching it in his mouth.

“No,” the Doctor replied, sharply. 

“Maybe another night,” Rose offered without moving just yet. 

“Aw, come on, Rosie,” Jack teased her. “That’s a classic! The sequel is even better! The parts of the monster turn into individual monsters and terrorize the city, and they have to call in the army…”

“Not happening, Jack,” the Doctor growled.

Rose rotated a bit in the Doctor’s arms, turning herself so that she had her back propped against his side comfortably and adjusting his arm around her so that she was still held snugly against him. The Doctor felt like strutting, but sat obedient and still in the place she’d positioned him. “I’d like to see it, though,” she said, smiling at Jack. “Maybe tomorrow night?”

The Doctor was incredulous. “Rose,” he said, and she craned her head around to look at him, “you just spent the entire movie curled up against me because you were scared -”

Jack interrupted with a snort. “Yeah, like you were complaining.”

He was ignored, except for the slight pink tinge on both Rose and the Doctor’s cheeks. “- why would you want to watch something that scared you?”

Rose pursed her lips and shrugged. “I don’t know, really. I’ve always liked scary stuff, even though it scared me. Maybe I thought it would toughen me up. I don’t like watching those things alone, mind you, but with someone it’s fine. I love Halloween, though. The dressing up and pretending to be someone else, going to haunted houses with mates, all the spooky decorations...I love all that.” She grinned broadly.

Jack looked up at the Doctor. “We need to take her to Samhain.”

The Doctor gave Jack another dirty look, and Rose chirped, “What’s Samhain?”

Jack beamed, “It’s really fun. If you like Halloween you’re going to _love_ Samhain. It’s all about Halloween.”

Rose made an appropriately impressed sound and turned to the Doctor. “Is that true?”

He seriously considered lying for a brief moment. It just….these planets just weren’t his _thing_. But he couldn’t lie to Rose. Not his Rose.

“Yes. There are planets throughout the Corona Solymus galaxy that were colonized by humans and set up as tourist destinations for the nostalgic or curious. So, to that end, they are dedicated to celebrations of Earth holidays. There’s one for Christmas called ‘Noel,’ one for Valentine’s Day called ‘Agape,’...there’s one for New Year’s and every religious holiday…”

“Cinco de Mayo and Mardi Gras are my favorites,” Jack volunteered.

The Doctor scowled. “I’m just sure they are,” he retorted, before he returned his attention to Rose. “Anyway, yes. One planet was set up and devoted to Halloween, called Samhain.”

“Oh, and Rose, it’s wonderful!” Jack broke in. “There are haunted houses and nightclubs and everyone wears a costume, and there are corn mazes and you’re going to love it!”

Rose looked from Jack back to the Doctor with bright, hopeful eyes. “Doctor? Can we go? I promise not to wander off!”

He looked down at her, seeing the excitement fairly bubbling from her and tried hard to find it within himself to tell her ‘no’, to try to talk her out of it, to try to bribe her with a pleasure planet or resort or anything else. He just didn’t feel good about Samhain. 

But her caramel-colored eyes sparkled up at him, and dammit, he was so firmly wrapped around her finger that he was almost grateful sometimes that no other Time Lords were around to see how far down the Rose Tyler rabbit hole he’d tumbled. 

He tried to remember the last time his answer to Rose Tyler had been ‘no’, but couldn’t. Instead, he just smiled down at her and said, “whatever you like.”


	2. Getting Ready

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Rose get ready for their adventure on Samhain, with a little help from the wardrobe room.
> 
> bingo words: costume, mask

Rose spent an inordinate amount of time in the wardrobe room, flipping through the costumes. The Tardis seemed to be delighting in providing her with outlandish costumes and even seemed to be egging her on a little, providing her with skimpy little costumes that made Rose blush just to think about wearing. Not that she wouldn’t _love_ to see the look on the Doctor’s face if she came out in one of the slinky little offerings, but she doubted it would make a difference. He was just so...aloof, and Rose was certain that he would never - 

“Rosie? You in there?”

She leaned over the railing to call down to Jack, “I’m up here!” Then straightened up to flip through some more costumes, trying to find The One. 

“Hey, hey, Rosie, whatcha found - _guh_ ”

Rose looked at him, confused for half a beat before she remembered what she was wearing and looked down at herself, blushing profusely. “Sorry, Jack. The Tardis thought it would be funny if I dressed like Little Red Riding Hood. No idea why.”

“Honey,” Jack said, his eyes running up and down Rose, “there are so many comments I could make right now, but I’m quite certain that the Doctor would murder me slowly if he found out I’d even thought them. I’ll only say that when that fairy tale was written, the red riding hood was not meant to be that little.” A hot flush swept over her, and Jack continued, “And if you ever want the Doctor to turn into the Big Bad Wolf, well, that,” he gestured towards her, “is exactly how you’d go about it.”

“Oh, stop.” Rose reached up and grabbed another costume, this one looking to be a ballgown. It was going to provide much more coverage, anyway, and she clutched it closer to her.

“No, really. That little red hood would get you the desired result.”

She sniffed delicately and walked towards the screen with the ball gown, ready to change into another costume. “I have no idea what you mean.”

“Come off it, Rosie. You two are crazy about each other.”

Rose’s blush, which had been receding slowly, flared brightly again and she was grateful to be hidden behind the screen. She sought the right words to deny this fact - at least on her end - but he went on over the sound of clothes racks sliding quickly as Jack searched for his own costume. 

“The way you two look at each other is all the evidence anyone would ever need. It’s absolutely adorable. I’m totally jealous.”

“Of who?” she asked, grinning as she pulled the ball gown up and began working with the zipper.

“Both of you,” Jack said, and she could hear the grin in his voice.

Rose finished with the zipper and saw the mask attached to the skirt. She pulled it off and put it on before stepping out from behind the screen. “How do I look?”

Jack dropped into a low bow. “Positively stunning milady. But if I might offer a suggestion, that dress may get cumbersome as the day wears on.”

“Hmm...good point.” She raised the mask and started looking through the racks again, tossing several costumes over her arm. “Are you going to try anything on?”

“Maybe,” he said evasively. “I may just go as a Captain. Man in uniform, you know. Attracts the ladies like flies.”

Rose rolled her eyes and went back behind the screen. 

The two of them tried on several more costumes, some ridiculously outlandish and some quite nice, until Jack decided to go as a pirate (the booty jokes had already started), and Rose settled on an angel costume. She took her time getting her hair and makeup just right, piling curls on top of her head and pinning them just so. When she was done, she looked into the mirrors and checked out her outfit, top to bottom, wondering what the Doctor would think.

“He’s going to love it,” Jack said, coming up behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders. Rose blushed, but didn’t say anything.

~*~O~*~

They went out to meet the Doctor in the console room. He was, naturally, not wearing a costume, but Rose wasn’t at all disappointed. He was gorgeous in his leather coat and just happened to be wearing the burgundy jumper she favored most. 

He looked up from the console as they came in the room, laughing together, and something passed over his eyes when he saw Rose. He took her in for a minute before schooling his expression into a mischievous smile. “B’leieve you’re supposed to have a harp or something.”

Rose sidled up beside him, her lips curled into a smile she hoped mirrored his, and leaned her bottom against the console so that she was still facing him. “I dunno, Doctor. Maybe I’m not that kind of angel.”

“Oh, I dunno,” he said as he turned away, back to the console, flipping switches. “I rather think your angelicness encompasses all of the traditional variations, me.” He was smiling as he said it and tossed her a wink. She blushed crimson.

“Hey! You didn’t tell me _I_ look pretty!” Jack called out indignantly.

The Doctor rolled his eyes before he turned around to address Jack and Rose snickered. “What are you supposed to be then?”

“I’m a pirate!” Jack said indignantly gesturing down to the bright red and black clothes over the white peasant shirt, the tri-corner hat and the fake bird on his shoulder.

“That’s not what pirates look like, and you know it.”

“Ah, well,” he said roguishly, “who cares about accuracy, anyway? I’m only here to seek out and plunder booty, _yarrr…_ ”

Rose burst into laughter and the Doctor heaved a sigh. Between the two of them, his companions were going to kill him. Very different methods, but they’d be the death of him, he just knew it.


	3. Exploring Samhain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose, the Doctor and Jack spend a fun day on Samhain, but something sinister is brewing.
> 
> bingo words: lunar, brimstone, wraith

The landing on Samhain was rougher than usual, and the Doctor was concerned. The Tardis seemed to be as antsy about this trip as he was, and he didn’t like it. The Tardis had good instincts, and so did he. Right now, his instinct was to fly away.

But Rose and Jack were laughing together and chatting animatedly as they climbed up from the floor, and Rose just seemed so _excited_. He tried to swallow his anxiety and prepared himself mentally for whatever may be waiting out there. 

A sudden burst of inspiration hit him. “Rose?”

“Yes, Doctor?”

“Are you sure those are the best shoes to wear?”

She looked down at the gold, strappy high-heeled sandals. He looked, too, and tried not to think about how absolutely adorable her painted toes were. 

“Well,” she began, “I didn’t think they would be a problem…”

The Doctor thought quickly. “Well, you see, a lot of the terrain on Samhain is a little rugged. Gravel or cobblestone roads and whatnot. Keeps with the spooky theme, you know. I’d hate for you to turn your ankle and we have to cut the day short.”

Rose considered this for a moment with just a hint of a pout, then announced she would head to the wardrobe to grab a pair of flats. The Doctor smiled after her, but whirled around to the monitor and started punching things into the computer when she was gone.

“Doc? You okay?”

“Don’t like it here,” he said gruffly. “Tardis doesn’t like it either.”

“Samhain? It’s a tourist resort.”

“I know,” the Doctor snapped.

Jack watched him quietly as he typed into the computer and squinted at the monitor.

“See anything?”

The Doctor grunted. “Everything looks fine.”

Jack beamed. “See? All is well.”

The Doctor looked worried, and when things worried the Doctor, they worried Jack, too. He resolved to keep a closer eye on Rose.

~*~O~*~

No trace of that worry showed on his face when Rose reappeared. The three of them exited the Tardis doors, stepping into a small city that was as Halloween-y as Rose ever could have thought of. Everything was black and orange, with occasional accent colors of green and purple. The buildings appeared to be run-down and spooky, covered in cobwebs and in disrepair (although the Doctor informed them that it was a facade and everything was perfectly safe). All of the visitors and residents seemed to be in costume, and small alien children ran around happily. Rose beamed as she took it all in. 

It was daylight, and Rose commented on it. 

“What of it?” the Doctor asked curiously.

“Well,” she said, “I just assumed on a planet that was supposed to be spooky and eerie, that it would be dark all the time.” She blushed a little. 

“Nah, they have a day and night cycle, although the night cycle is much longer. There are two moons, see. One is tiny, barely worth mentioning. It hardly had enough mass to make it spherical. The other, though, it’s a beauty. The two tug on the planet in such a way that this particular area of Samhain has day/night cycles similar to what you’d see at winter solstice in London.” Rose nodded to show that she understood and he went on - just as he always did when she was being a rapt audience. “Plus, this lot figured out how to make both moons appear red and full every night. Adds to the ambiance, eh? An extra long night with two blood red moons, it’s a bit spooky, yeah?”

“Oh, Doctor! This is wonderful!” She squeezed the hand she was holding and hugged his arm close in excitement. “We’re going to have so much fun!”

He gave her a tight smile and returned the squeeze she’d given his hand. “So, Rose Tyler, what would you like to do?”

Rose considered for a minute, screwing up her face in mock concentration as she looked around, taking in the environment. “Well, it’s not night yet. Are there daytime things to do?”

Jack piped up, “sure there are! We can go on a hayride or play some of the games, do one of the corn mazes, or go through a haunted house…”

“There are different types of haunted house here. There are mild ones that families usually take their children through, there are some that are dedicated to a storyline, there are ones just like on Earth, and some are very intensely scary,” the Doctor explained.

“Let’s do the hayride and corn maze first, then maybe a haunted house before we eat and go dancing, yeah?”

Jack gave his enthusiastic approval, and the Doctor fought a groan with effort. _Dancing._

“As you wish,” he said, smiling down to her.

~*~O~*~

A silvery wraith slipped, unheard and unseen, from behind the building nearest the humanoids that had just emerged from the blue box. It wove, silent and nearly invisible, through the streets, leaving only the impression of a very cold wind that smelled strongly of brimstone with the people it passed. Nobody thought anything of the cold chill that washed over them as it passed unseen. Samhain was meant to be a bit spooky. Sulfur and sudden bursts of wind were just part of the entertainment.

The wraith found the hidden building it was looking for, away from the main street that was set up for tourists, and slid effortlessly through the doors. It wove around halls and stairs, ignoring the other creatures and witches it came upon until it descended into the crypt.

“Master,” it said in a breathy, quiet voice, bowing low.

“Mmm?” a voice answered from behind the chair near the fireplace. It was silky, deep and rich, and could have been considered sexy were it not for the ominous tone that came through in just that one noise. 

“I believe I have found the one,” the wraith said, daring to stand.

“Oh, have you now?”

“She is human, of Sol III. Dressed in pure white, as if she knew what drew her here to us.”

The man spun his chair around, turning to face the wraith who bowed low again. “Does she come alone?”

“No, master. She is with another human, not of Earth, and a humanoid male. I was unable to identify his species.”

“Interesting…” the man, the master, muttered. “From Sol III and dressed all in white, you say?”

“Yes, master.”

The other man stood from his chair, and the smell of sulfur filled the air. “Watch her. Get her away from her companions and have her brought to me tonight. I will make the preparations.”

“Yes, master,” the wraith said, bowing impossibly lower.

“And I want her unharmed. No abrasions or contusions should mark her fair skin, understood?”

“Yes, master.”

The wraith slid away, out of the presence of the man, who smiled evilly as he sat back down in his chair. 

A human. From Earth. Oh, the gods will be pleased, indeed, and the rewards will be his.


	4. Something in the Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor senses danger.
> 
> bingo words: dread, eerie

Living with the Doctor and Rose Tyler was an exercise in frustration, and Jack Harkness - for all his joviality and bright smiles, was a very frustrated man.

It wasn’t just sexual frustration, although that was _certainly_ a part of it. Nor was it solely romantic tension. The Doctor and Rose seemed to be locked in this binary orbit around each other, this steady but delicate little dance, where they both were desperately in love with the other, and both were too chickenshit to ‘fess up. 

And it wouldn’t be so bad, Jack thought, if they weren’t all over each other all the time. He could somewhat understand Rose’s tendency to cuddle up to the Doctor. A little. Rose was a snuggly type person, quite tactile in her affections, and so it stood to reason that she would stay close to the Doctor. 

The Doctor, however, was one of the grumpiest, most forbidding, sarcastic, stern and (frankly) terrifying bastards that Jack had ever known. Jack had heard myths about Time Lords and the Oncoming Storm among them, a great and terrible force to be feared and revered. Jack was only a little surprised when he discovered that the Doctor was said Oncoming Storm. 

But if the people who told those stories ever saw the Doctor around Rose Tyler, his fearsome legend would likely take a hit. One smile from Rose, one furtive little glance, one blonde head perched on his shoulder, and the Oncoming Storm was a tempest in a very small teapot ten galaxies away. If Jack had been only a little surprised to learn who the Doctor was, he was outright shocked at the gigantic chink in his armor that was a young, blonde, human girl named Rose. 

Jack had lived a long time, longer than it appeared he had, and he had seen a lot of things in his life. What he had never seen, though, was a couple that was more enamored with each other than the Doctor and Rose Tyler. And they were a couple. It was evident to everyone who came near them. 

But the two of them stayed locked in their little dance, orbiting each other shyly and refused to acknowledge their feelings, sticking to touches, looks and the rare quick kiss anywhere that could be considered platonic. Today, as they enjoyed the tourist attractions, Rose and the Doctor were joined at the entwined hands. They held tight to each other through the corn maze, the two haunted houses Rose wanted to visit, and the walking tour of the town. The only times that one or the other would let go was when they sat down to dinner (and the looks between the two would make a nun blush) and then on the hayride when the Doctor put his arm around his angel and tugged her close. But he’d let go of her hand. 

Jack rolled his eyes, thinking of the party line that they towed anytime someone asked if they were married, engaged, or in some other type of relationship. They stubbornly held firm to the statement that they were friends, not like that, and the tension was just about to kill Jack Harkness. He’d seriously considered contradicting them publicly, just hoping against hope it would push them together. 

He was quite looking forward to visiting the dance club on Samhain tonight. He fully intended to find someone - anyone, really, at this point - and be as utterly debauched as he possibly could. If he didn’t he may well explode. 

~*~O~*~

The three stopped outside of a shop of chocolate sculptures, and Rose squealed excitedly, saying she wanted to go inside and look. The Doctor smiled indulgently and said, “go on, then.”

Rose scampered off and the Doctor watched her, smiling until she was out of earshot. 

“Do you feel that?” 

“Feel what?” Jack answered.

“Something in the air. Something...sinister. Eerie.” He took a deep breath. “Brimstone.”

“What about it?”

“Brimstone is usually accompanied by the paranormal.”

“This is a _Halloween planet_ , Doc.”

The Doctor nodded absently, then whirled around to Jack. “What weapons do you have on you, Harkness?” 

“Same as always,” Jack shrugged. “Two blasters and a laser pistol.”

“Does your blaster have a electromagnetic particle dissipator? Or a neuralmatter eradicator?”

“Both of them have both.”

“Good,” the Doctor said briefly, and Jack blinked. “I’m not feeling great about this. I feel like something bad is about to happen. A sense of dread.” The Doctor looked up and down the tourist trap of a street, then peered into the shop window discreetly to find Rose. “If I were superstitious, I’d say there are evil spirits in the air. As it is, I’m saying that it’s eerie. I’m glad to know you’re prepared.”

Jack hesitated. “Maybe we should come back…”

“No. Rose wants to be here, so we’re here.” He rubbed his hand down his face and cursed himself quietly. Bloody besotted schoolboy, him. The Oncoming Storm should be able to say ‘no’ to one young woman, no matter how beautiful she was. 

“Just...keep an eye on her, yeah?”

“Of course I will!” Jack was a little offended. “I always do, you know that.”

“I know,” he conceded. “I just...something feels wrong, Jack. I’m worried.”


	5. The Last Stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group makes one last stop before retiring for the night. 
> 
> bingo words: pumpkin, demon

The Doctor typically didn’t go along with Rose and Jack when they went out to whatever hotspot happened to be local to whatever planet they landed on, but he felt the need to tag along tonight. It hadn’t taken a very long time aboard the Tardis before Jack had proven himself to be capable and loyal. He’d worried about the Captain’s attraction to Rose but Jack was respectful of the odd, unspoken relationship between himself and Rose. The former con man still flirted with Rose outrageously (much to the Doctor’s chagrin), but it was clear that his heart wasn’t in it. Jack knew his place aboard the ship. 

Jack had also proven himself to be remarkably protective of Rose, nearly as protective as the Doctor himself. With his years of training as a Time Agent and the keen knowledge of what it felt like to lose someone he loved, the Doctor had found himself able to relax somewhat if he knew that Jack was going to be around to watch Rose. And the playboy did watch Rose: the Doctor had noted that if he weren’t close enough to do so, Jack instinctively pulled Rose behind him in any dangerous situation. He kept his eye constantly on her, just as the Doctor did. 

The Doctor had had intense reservations about the con man who had nearly obliterated the human race in 1941, but he had proven himself to be bigger on the inside - just as the Doctor demanded. Jack Harkness had a heart of gold, and that heart loved Rose. As long as that love never strayed into _eros_ territory, the Doctor was quite pleased with that. 

But the fear he felt from this place was palpable. Like most nightclubs and bars, it was quite appealing with the lights low or off. True to the spirit of Halloween, the place was mostly black with orange lights, the occasional green and purple mixing in. But just like almost every other nightclub, the Doctor was certain that the place would become rather ugly once the lights came up. Shining light on a thing that thrived in the darkness often showed ugliness, and he was sure that this place was no exception. It felt ugly to him.

Dread wrapped around him like a heavy, scratchy blanket threatening to suffocate him, and even though he usually left Jack and Rose to their own devices at nightclubs and the like, the Doctor wasn't willing to let Rose out of his sight on this planet. This night on this planet found him sitting at the bar, sipping a mead made with pumpkins. It wasn’t bad, but the Doctor wasn’t paying much attention to his beverage. His focus was on his companions, and he scanned the room continually for anything that may be dangerous to Rose. Several men approached Rose, wanting to dance, but Jack was more than capable of getting rid of them if they didn’t leave after Rose declined.

Nothing had presented itself as a danger yet and when Rose looked his way he smiled at her reassuringly. But the Doctor couldn’t shake his fear. 

~*~O~*~

Rose was having a wonderful time. Jack was a great (if exuberant) dancer, and the two of them played off of each other. The music was lively, her partner was one of her best friends and the Doctor watched from the bar, smiling at her anytime she looked his way. 

The pirate and the angel spun around the dance floor, laughing at each other’s silliness, enjoying the night. 

A man approached them dressed as a demon, or perhaps the devil. He wore the standard, stereotypical red suit with horns and a long forked tail, and Rose had to bite back a laugh. 

“Hi there, Angel. Want to see if opposites attract?”

Rose smiled benevolently. She was an angel tonight, after all. “No, thank you.”

The devil smiled back at her. “It’s just that you look hot. I mean, hot as in you could use a drink to cool off.”

“Kind of an odd thing for the devil to offer, isn’t it?” Jack challenged. There was a challenge in his voice, but no overt malice.

“I suppose so, but I’m not really as evil as all that. The devil was once an angel, you know.”

Rose smiled again and gave a small shake of her head, but before she could speak Jack put an arm around her waist and tugged her close. “Well, _this_ angel is dancing with me.”

The demon bowed his head a little and said, “if you change your mind…”

Rose replied: “Thank you, but I doubt I will. I’ll let you know if I do.”

The devil inclined his head again and made an exit. 

“He’s right, you know,” Jack said. 

“About what?”

“You do look hot.”

Rose giggled and swatted his arm. “Jack, you say the sweetest things,” she teased.

He grinned and rolled his eyes. “No, I meant that he was right. You do look like you could use a break. Want to go join the Doctor? Drink’s on me.”

She nodded. “That would be lovely. I need to make a run to the loo, then I’ll meet you back there.”

Jack gave her a quick squeeze and started towards the bar while Rose went to the bathroom.

~*~O~*~

Rose washed her hands, then looked up into the mirror to adjust her hair and makeup. She was surprised to see someone behind her. She spun around, startled, and took in the stranger’s appearance. 

He was hardly dressed, standing before her in just pants. He had horns protruding from his forehead and curling slightly, like a ram’s. His skin was grey, and Rose found herself very afraid all of the sudden. 

“I’m sorry,” she apologized quickly. “I thought this was the ladies’ room. I’ll just-”

“You are coming with me,” he said in a dark voice.

Rose’s eyes grew wider, and she shook her head. The demon’s eyes glowed, and fire seemed to come from them, flames licking towards where his hair should have been. 

“You will come with me, angel.”

“No,” Rose shook her head strongly and inched toward the door. “I don’t want to. I’m going back to-”

“You are needed. You will come with me.”

And with that, the demon shot out a hand, his arm reaching farther than it should have been able to, and grabbed Rose around the waist. He jerked her close to him and Rose smelled the putrid scent of decay and sulfur. She opened her mouth to scream but stopped when she heard a flapping noise. Hoping that it was someone coming to her rescue, she looked over her shoulder to see two black, ragged wings opening. She screamed, DOCTOR!, but the demon pushed off from the ground and took flight with her through the ceiling, which seemed to melt away before him and re-close itself after they’d passed through.


	6. Absconded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Jack realize that Rose is missing, and set out to find her.
> 
> bingo words: feral, spectre

The Doctor eyed Jack when he came to the bar, but said nothing until the other man had ordered drinks and sat down in the stool beside him. 

“Where’s Rose?”

“Gone to the ladies’. I told her to come straight back here after, and we’d get drinks.”

The Doctor nodded, but his uneasiness increased. There was something off, and he talked himself out of rushing to the ladies’ room just to make sure she was okay. 

Jack got their drinks and the Doctor watched as Jack took a sip. He bounced his leg and he and Jack both scanned the crowd, focusing on the entrance to the bathroom. 

After a few moments, the Doctor swore and asked Jack, “how long does it bloody take to go to the loo?”

Jack tried to sound reassuring. “I’m sure she’s just fixing her hair or reapplying her lippy. Rose is a big girl, I’m sure she’s fine.”

The Doctor gave him a curt nod, but his fear was now churning in his gut. Something was wrong and he knew it. 

He waited another 96.4 seconds before he shot to his feet, his patience expended. “I’m going to the loo to check on her.”

“Doc, you can’t just stroll into a ladies’ bathroom.”

“Watch me.”

Jack reached out and grabbed his arm, trying to pull him back. “Doctor, let me. I’ll go to the door and call for her. You’re terrifying when you get like this, and you’re going to scare Rose. Let me.”

The Doctor stared at him for a second before he nodded, giving just one little bob of the head. Jack set off to the ladies’ room and propped open the door a few inches. 

“Rose? You alright in here?” He got no answer, so he tried again. Still no answer. He pushed open the door and stepped inside fully. “Rose? Rose, where are you?”

The Doctor watched Jack disappear into the ladies’ room with his hearts thundering. The blood roared in his ears and he couldn’t hear anything. He stood by the bar, breathing heavily and coiled to spring, then Jack came out of the bathroom and looked back at him, his eyes wide. He felt his hearts seize up when he saw Jack's fear.

 _”Rose! Rose where are you?”_ he yelled over the din of music and partiers. 

“She’s not in there, Doc. There’s no trace of her.” Jack sounded panicked, and it frightened the Doctor even more. 

Both of them scanned the crowd one final time, then the Doctor took off running for the door. “ _ROSE!_ ” he bellowed as soon as he got into the street. _”ROSE!_ ”

The people milling around the street took several steps back from him, sensing the danger and great, barely restrained power rolling from the man in leather. He continued to roar Rose’s name, even as Jack skidded to a halt beside him. 

They heard her voice from far away, and Jack swatted the Doctor’s arm absently. “This way!”

The two men took off at a sprint, following the sound of Rose’s voice, calling out to her. The Doctor still felt her fear at the back of his mind, and it spurred him on. Her voice came nearer and nearer until they heard it clearly coming from a dank, deserted building near the end of the row. The Doctor burst in, Jack right behind him. 

“Rose!”

The room was empty. It looked to be a run-down storage building with all but a few boxes cleared out. One small window, dusty and nearly opaque, was just a few inches below the window. 

But there was no Rose.

The Doctor shouted her name one more time, Jack coming to his side once more, and the door behind them slammed shut. Rose’s cries for help was replaced with a sinister laughter at the two men spun around the dark room in time to see the door they’d just entered seal shut behind them.

~*~O~*~

“Hello,” said a voice behind them, genial and calm. The Doctor and Jack both whirled around, ready to strike, but there was no body to attack. A spectre floated above a carved pumpkin, and the Doctor wondered if it was a hologram. It surely couldn’t be a ghost. Not a real ghost.

It was a man wearing a suit, and although the hologram or projection or spirit - whatever - was not colored, the Doctor had the impression that the man was dressed in all black. His hair was overlong, and there was something evil about his face.

“Who the hell are you?” Jack demanded.

“And what have you done with Rose?” the Doctor yelled. 

The spectre smiled down at the two of them, even as it bounced gently. “My name is Eldritch, and you will understand all in good time, gentlemen. You will get your angel back as soon as I get what I want.”

The Doctor burst out, “You _have_ me, alright? You have what you want. Let Rose go!”

The spectre chuckled. “Such arrogance. I’ve always heard that Time Lords were an arrogant race.”

The Doctor stiffened, wondering how this...thing knew he was a Time Lord. Deciding it didn’t matter, he plowed forward. “Alright, so I’m arrogant. You’ve still got me. I’m here, alright? Just don’t hurt Rose.”

The spectre laughed again. “We do not want you, Time Lord. Nor your companion. You are worthless to us, but we have long awaited the arrival of the angel you brought.”

“Give her back to us!” Jack cried out at the top of his lungs, his voice fierce and angry.

“All in good time, human. You’ll have her back when we’ve finished.”

The Doctor’s voice and body turned positively feral. The Oncoming Storm was snarling. “You will do nothing to harm that girl. If one hair on her head is out of place, I will tear this planet to shreds until I find you and kill you.”

“Promises of death are nothing to me...Doctor, is it? And your loyal sidekick, Jack?” He laughed again, a shrill, cold sound. “Once your angel provides the service we require from her, we’ll release her to you...mostly intact.”

The Doctor roared and launched himself towards the spectre, but was knocked back by a force field. 

“Patience, Time Lord. There’s nothing for you to do right now but wait.”

“Like hell,” the Doctor growled.

The spectre grinned evilly, and the Doctor felt a chill down his spine. “Why, yes. It’s very like hell. Welcome to Samhain, gentlemen.”


	7. Eldritch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose's captor introduces himself.
> 
> bingo words: crypt, eldritch

Rose awakened slowly, sitting up from the hard stone floor. The door to the room she was in was open so she stood and cautiously went to the door, seeking a way out. 

Turning into a hall, she realized that she was in a crypt. The stone walls were riddled with recesses where skeletons lie tangled in the tattered remains of the clothes they’d been entombed wearing. The air felt damp, probably because of the wetness of the walls, and the hallway smelt of decay - a lighter version of what the demon who had brought her here smelled of. She whispered a prayer that the demon wouldn't come back to remind her of his scent.

A fire seemed to be glowing in the room at the end of the hall, and although Rose knew that she should turn around, should run away from the source of that fire, she inched forward anyway like a moth seeking warmth. 

She entered the room and found it large and round with a high, domed ceiling. There were only a couple of recesses in these walls, and the fire burned brightly on the low altar in the center of the room. The door closed behind her as she entered and Rose spun around, running back to it and slamming her fists against it. 

The fire on the altar made a spitting noise and Rose turned back around, wide-eyed, to see a cauldron over top it, a silver liquid bubbling merrily. She approached it cautiously, against her will, and drew back with her hand over her mouth in horror. The bubbling potion inside was a glowing emerald green, and she was certain she could see eyes raising up from the liquid to look at her. 

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to drink it,” said a voice behind her and Rose spun around again to face the person speaking. She saw a man dressed in a black suit with a black collarless shirt, closed at the neck with a black and gold - brooch, she supposed. The man had longish blonde hair and blue eyes, but his eyes were nothing like the Doctor’s. The Doctor’s blue eyes always looked at her with kindness and love, occasionally something like want; one look in those eyes always reassured her and made her feel cherished. 

This man’s eyes also held want, but in a completely different way than the Doctor. These blue eyes were alight with a malice and evil that matched his bright smile. 

“Ah, so I don’t appear to be as kind as your companion. Doctor, is it? And a Time Lord, as well! My, my, aren’t you the lucky one.”

“Leave him alone,” Rose growled. “You don’t know what you’re messing with.”

The man’s eyes twinkled malevolently. “Oh, but I do. I'm dealing with Rose Tyler, human from Terra Sol III, and the angel who is going to provide what we need.”

“Who are you?” Rose demanded, sounding braver than she felt. The man ignored her.

“You travel in something called the Tardis with your Time Lord and human companion. The three of you float around time and space, giving your services to local populations when you’re not sightseeing.”

“I said, _who are you?_ ” Rose shouted this time, unnerved by the calm smile and the knowledge of her. 

“Three is usually a crowd, of course, but not aboard your ship. The Time Lord holds your heart and you believe he may love you as well. You hope for his affections. The younger man is also loved by you, but not in the way he seeks love from others. You see the Doctor’s protectiveness of you and jealousy towards the younger man - Jack - and it makes you happy to think that he may love you as you love him.”

Rose took small steps backwards from the man in black. “How do you know that?”

He continued in a silky tone, “You’re afraid that he may never love you as you love him, but you tell yourself that as long as he’s with you, that will be enough.” The man’s smile was venomous, and Rose found her back colliding with the wall when she ran out of room. 

“Who are you?” Rose demanded quietly.

“Yes, I do suppose I’m being rude. You may call me Eldritch.”

“Let me go,” said said firmly, slightly louder. The man laughed.

“No, my dear angel, you will be staying for a while. Until I get what I need from you.”

“Please don’t hurt me.”

“Please don’t fight me,” he returned easily. 

“What is it that you want?,” she asked desperately. 

“Well, in short, we want you. But don’t worry,” Eldritch hastened to assure her, false kindness dripping from every word. “You will be returned to your friends after we get what we need from you. Then you can fly off with your friends, and see if you can ever make the Doctor love you - although it will likely be decidedly harder once you leave.”

“How do you know about the Doctor? And Jack?”

“Why, that’s simple,” Eldritch said with a tone that suggested she should have already known the answer.

_It’s all up here, dear, in your head. I can see everything._

Rose gasped and scrambled around her mind, closing doors as quickly as she could just as the Doctor had taught her and the Eldritch laughed when she slammed her full protective block down on her mind. “Don’t worry, angel. You go ahead and shield yourself. It won’t help, but no matter. We’re not going to take what we need from you by force. No, you’ve got to give it willingly. And you will, my dear, you will.”

“The hell I will,” Rose growled. “Let me go.”

“As soon as you give us what we need, you will be released.”

_So don’t fight me, little one. You will lose. I promise you, you will lose. And I can’t promise I’ll keep my word if you fight me too much. I don’t think your companions would appreciate a broken corpse being returned to them, do you?_

Rose’s mind filled with the vision of herself lying in a pool of blood, her white costume stained red and her eyes staring wide at nothing. Her arms and legs were bent grotesquely, and her face was frozen in terror.

“No,” Rose breathed.

Eldritch laughed, and Rose collapsed to the floor, convinced that she was living a nightmare.


	8. Calamity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A woman named Calamity comes to explain the situation to the Doctor and Jack.
> 
> bingo words: sorcery, occult

“Can you find her, Doc?”

The Doctor knew what Jack meant without any further explanation. He closed his eyes and searched for her, for her mental signature, but found only a brick wall where she should be. 

“She’s alive, but she’s got her mental blocks up. I can’t find her unless she lets them down. We’ll have to find another way.”

“How do we get out of here?”

The Doctor looked around the room wildly, then spotted the window. “The window!” he cried, then started pulling boxes over to the place under the window. 

“I wouldn’t bother with that if I were you,” a pleasant, female voice said from beside the door. “You can’t get out that way. Besides, your Rose will be returned to you as soon as she surrenders what we need.”

“Who are you?” the Doctor demanded. He looked her over and saw that she was slightly green-tinted, wearing flowing crimson robes that were embroidered with silver and black emblems. The Doctor recognized them as occult symbols.

“My name is Calamity, and I’m here to see to your immediate needs while you wait.”

“We need Rose.”

She smiled and gave them the same aggravating response: “All in good time.”

“Where is she?” Jack asked.

“She’s with Eldritch. With any luck, she’ll surrender her blood and a sliver of soul soon, and you can all be on your way.”

“Her _soul_?” Jack said, dumbfounded. The Doctor didn’t move. His entire body was a still picture of fury, the only movement a twitching muscle in his jaw.

“An immortality potion,” the Doctor said in a dead voice through clenched teeth.

Calamity nodded brightly. “A philosopher’s stone.”

Jack looked from one ot the other. “You’re kidding, right, Doc?”

Calamity looked happy. “Oh, no. You see, we’ve had everything we needed to make ourselves immortal for a while, but we needed the blood of an angel and a sliver of soul. Now that we have it, Eldritch will be able to perform the bit of sorcery needed to create the stone.”

“It's a costume!” Jack protested. “She’s not an angel, really, she’s human!”

“We know,” Calamity said with infuriating cheerful calm. “We needed a pure soul, a human soul. Not all of it,” she reassured the men. “Just a portion.”

“You can’t have her,” the Doctor growled. “You won’t be able to take it from her. She’s too pure, too good. It would destroy anyone who tried to touch it, especially someone as despicable and abhorrent as you lot.”

“Oh, we’re not taking anything by force. She’ll give it to us gladly. And what an honor!”

The Doctor growled at her with clenched fists. “Lady, this is your last chance. I will tear every one of you limb from limb if you don’t return her to me at once and unharmed.”

Calamity shook her head sadly, still smiling. “I’m afraid I cannot. Not until she has performed her task.”

He growled again and Jack put one hand on his arm. “How long are you keeping her?” asked Jack.

“That depends on how long she fights us. Now," she smiled brightly. "You two rest easy, she’ll be back with you soon enough and will have ensured that we will all live long enough to spread our faith in Eldritch and the pantheon of Samhain's gods throughout the galaxies!”

Calamity turned to leave, gracing each of them with a smile. 

Jack and the Doctor watched her go, and waited until she was out of earshot. The Doctor muttered under his breath: “Jack?”

“Yeah?”

“You still got those blasters?”

“Yeah.”

“Blow a hole in the fucking wall. We’re going to get Rose.”


	9. Breaking Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eldritch attempts to coerce Rose into giving him what he wants.
> 
> _WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTACKS ON ROSE, INCLUDING CRUEL, TAUNTING HALLUCINATIONS OF LOVED ONES._
> 
>  
> 
> bingo words: nightmare, death

All was black, and Rose spun around with her arms out, trying to get her bearings. All was a void, and she couldn’t see the ground below her feet. Holding her hand up, she couldn’t see her fingers. Pressing them tentatively to her cheeks, she decided she was real. Surely, she was real. 

Suddenly she found herself in her mother’s flat, but her mother wasn’t there. She ran around from room to room, finding nothing. Rose ran into her mother’s bedroom last and found her mother there, on her knees on the bed, weeping. She knelt over Pete’s broken body as he lie, staring at the ceiling with empty, dead eyes, his blood staining her mother’s bed. 

“Why didn’t you save him, Rose? Why didn’t you save him?” Jackie wailed. Rose’s mouth worked soundlessly, and her mother went on. “You could have saved him, and we could have been a happy family. You could have had a father. But you let him get run over, Rose. You sat beside him while he died.” Jackie’s voice became a shriek and she climbed off the bed to approach her daughter, her hands and clothes stained with Pete's blood.

“You watched him die and left him there, lying on the ground, cold and alone.” Jackie’s eyes were narrowed and she stalked towards Rose. “You let him die and sentenced me to a life in hell without him.”

“I didn’t, Mum, it wasn’t…”

“You could have saved me,” the Pete said from his place on the bed. He sat up and Rose screamed; blood coated his face and clothes. “You could have kept me safe, kept me alive.”

“No, daddy,” she wailed to her father, this nightmare version of her parents. “I couldn’t...you chose to save us all when you died…”

“Its just as well,” Jackie sneered. “He’d never have loved you anyway. Pete and I loved each other. We were enough for each other. We never wanted a child. Ruined my figure, you did. Stopped me from bettering myself. Had to take care of a screaming brat all on my own, didn't I? I could have been anything if it weren’t for you.”

Rose felt the tears dripping off of her chin. “Please, Mum, please don’t say that…”

Pete said, “I might have known you’d turn out to be useless. Expected it, really. Glad I missed it.” Rose bawled in agony at her father’s words. “And this Doctor, employing you as his ‘companion’... why would he want a chav from the estates?”

“Why would anyone want a daughter like you? A daughter that would be willing to let her father die right in front of her? Disgusting, you are. A bit of rubbish.”

“No, Mum, no, please…” Rose fell to her knees and covered her face, trying to shut out the cruel taunts of her parents.

The scene faded, and she was back in Jimmy Stone’s apartment. The smell of cheap booze and cigarettes hit her like a wall and she scrambled to her feet, intensely afraid and crying in spite of herself. The memories of this place were awful, and she didn’t want to be here at all.

“Worthless cow,” he scoffed. Rose looked up and saw him staring at her through narrow slits from his customary place on the couch.

“Fuck off, Jimmy,” she snuffled. “I don’t need your shit right now.”

“Oh but you _do_ need me, Rose,” he said, standing and crossing to her slowly, stalking her. “I’m the best you’ll ever have, the most you could ever hope for. You belong to me. Not that old gorilla who’s got you under his spell. You’re _mine_ , Rose Tyler.”

“You cheated on me!” she shrieked. “You lied, and you made me do things I didn’t want to do, and then you _hit_ me, you bastard! You _beat_ me!”

He crossed his arms and leaned back, smug. “Yeah, and I’m still the best you’ll ever do, bitch. Why do you think anyone else would want you? Give the Eldritch what he wants. At least there’s _somebody_ in the universe who wants your sorry ass.”

“Fuckity bye, Jimmy.”

He prowled towards her. “No, you need to realize just how low you are, just an estate girl, a chav, a slag, won’t never amount to anything. Replaceable. Forgettable. Why do you think that he’s not coming for you?”

Rose’s voice trembled when she retorted, “I was good enough to get away from the likes of you.”

“Ah, but how long, Rose? How long until you realize that your whole life is a bullshit pipe dream and you should just resign yourself to a couple of brats by a couple of blokes and a flat at the estates? It’s what you were born to do. It’s where you belong. It’s your _destiny_ , Rose. Travelling the stars with the love of your life?” He snorted. “You deserve what I give you. Nothing else. That’s all.”

“It’s _not_. I’m better than that, Jimmy. Better than you…”

“He’s not coming for you, Rose," the vision of Jimmy taunted mercilessly. "He doesn’t love you. Nobody will _ever_ love you like I love you. Just go ahead and face it; you’re meant to be with me...and you’ll sit back and take it when I yell at you, and you’ll go to bed alone because I’m out shagging whoever I want, and when I give you a smack for talking back, you’ll take it.”

“No,” she cried, sobbing. “I won’t. I won’t do that again. I won't have that kind of life. He’s coming for me…”

“He’s not, Rose. You’ll come running back to me….I’m waiting….”

Rose sobbed into her hands, praying for him to shut up and leave her alone - the same prayer she had always prayed when Jimmy would deride and belittle her - when suddenly a voice filled her mind.

_Are you ready to give us what we want?_

Rose jerked her head up and found herself back in the blackness of the void. Her parents were gone, Jimmy was gone, and her senses were useless. Eldritch spoke to her from within her mind. 

_You will give us what we want soon. Soon, Rose Tyler…_

“What do you want?” she sobbed.

_Your blood and soul…_

“No!” Rose shouted. “No!”

_ROSE!_

Rose scrambled to her feet and spun around, looking wildly for the Doctor, unrestrained hope blooming in her heart. “I’m here, Doctor! Right here!”

 _Let down your barriers, Rose! I can’t find you without them!_ His Northern accent wrapped around her like a blanket.

Rose dropped the walls to her mind immediately at his command, and instantly felt him at the back of her mind. Even through his desperate fear, his presence was a warm reassurance.

_Rose! I'm trying to find you, we're coming for you, Rose! Stay where you are!_

“Doctor!”

_I’ll be there soon, Rose! Hold on!_

“That’s it, Rose. Open your mind to us,” came a soft Northern burr, achingly familiar and suddenly terrifying.

Rose froze when she heard the Doctor’s voice directly behind her.

_Rose! Who is that?_

“It’s you,” she whispered.

“Yes,” the Doctor's voice snarled from the void, somewhere in front of her, somewhere very close. “It’s me.”

_Don’t listen to it, Rose! Don’t believe anything it says, and CLOSE YOUR MIND!_

Rose slammed her defenses back down and instantly felt the Doctor’s presence leave her mind. 

“Listening to your imagination, are you?” the voice of the Doctor sneered from the darkness, and it sounded like it was circling her, watching her like a predator watches prey. “Makes sense. Stupid little ape like you.” He sounded entertained, amused by her fear and confusion.

 _Don’t listen to it_ , Rose told herself firmly, closing her eyes tight. _That’s not the proper Doctor. The real Doctor is coming for me._

The Doctor’s voice laughed from the darkness. “I’m not coming for you, Rose. I’m tired of chasing you around, getting you out of trouble. Why should I waste time on you? Bloody stupid little ape, you are.”

 _The Doctor will come for me. He will come for me._ Rose screwed up her face tight and repeated it in her mind like a mantra. _He won’t leave me. He will come for me. He loves me._

The Doctor’s laugh, high and cold, came from the darkness, echoing slightly, sounding far away. 

Then suddenly, his voice was so close to her left ear that she could feel his breath: “You truly believe that I care about you, don’t you? How could I care about a thorn in my side, except to want to remove it?”

“No!” Rose shouted when she flinched away, swatting at nothing beside her head. “Please, just leave me alone! He’s coming for me!”

“All those times I held your hand, I held you close...all of it meant nothing.” He was circling again and she spun, trying to see him, to plead with him to stop. “I had thought that maybe I could at least shag you, get a good fuck out of you, but you were really just too stupid for me to bother with.” Rose shook with silent sobs. “Do you honestly think that you’re the first person to think I cared about them? Do you honestly believe that I _liked_ having you around?” His laugh echoed through the void again, then his breath was on her neck when he purred, “You mean _nothing_ to me, Rose Tyler.” She sobbed aloud and felt him move away, back to circling. “Glad to be shot of you, me. Only sorry it took so long.”

Rose cried into her hands, talking to herself. “It’s not true. It’s not. The Doctor loves me. He’d never let me be hurt. Please stop...you’re not real. The Doctor loves me. He would never do this to me.”

“Wouldn’t I?” His voice was circling her again, and malice dripped from every word he said in the Northern accent she loved so much. “I’m right here, Rose, you can hear me. And I mean what I say: Jack is capable and strong. He’s not some stupid ape kid. I can use him. You?” He was suddenly at her shoulder again: she couldn’t see him, but she could feel his presence. He whispered silkily, “you’re useless, Rose Tyler.”

“You _lie_!” she shouted into the darkness, her hands covering her face, doubled over with her back curved.

“It’s true,” Jack's voice piped up from the void, and there was a cruel edge she’d never heard before. “Look. Open your eyes and look.”

Rose opened her eyes, cursing herself for obeying, and saw the two men running back into to the Tardis on the outskirts of town and closing the door behind them. 

“Is she gone?” Jack asked the Doctor in the vision before her.

“Think so,” the Doctor muttered, dancing around the console in the way she loved so much, checking controls. 

“I’m here,” she choked, reaching out feebly. “Please don’t leave me, I’m here.”

“No sign of her,” the Doctor said. “Thank Rassilon.” 

“Doctor, Jack, no. _Please_ …”

“Good,” Jack said. “Now we can have some _real_ fun, without her dragging us down all the time.”

“Please,” Rose whimpered. “Please don’t leave me.”

“Of course we’re leaving you,” the Doctor said, seeming to finally take notice of her and walking over to her, looking down on her coldly. “We don’t want you here. _I _don’t want you. How stupid must you be to think I ever would?”__

The Doctor and Jack laughed, and Rose fell to the floor again, covering her face in despair. 

The Doctor and Jack were gone, and she stood again in pitch blackness. No sound, no motion, no light, no scent. 

_Give us your blood and soul, and you can go back to them,_ Eldritch intoned in her mind. _You’ll have a chance to make them love you again. Although, granted, seems they never loved you to begin with._

“No...leave me alone….” 

_It would be so much easier to give in to us. Give me your blood. Give me a bit of your soul._

“You’re not real,” she whimpered. “This is magic or...or sorcery or something, but you’re not real.” 

Hot, blinding pain ran through her veins and Rose screamed. 

_Does that feel like a dream to you, angel?_

Rose screamed until the pain stopped, then she lie on the ground and the flat surface she was on was the only thing she could sense - then it was gone, and she was floating in blackness. All of her senses were useless. 

_You will give me what I want. I will have your soul, child. Until then, enjoy the void._

Rose cried out, but there was nothing to cry out to. She was alone. 


	10. Seeking Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor attempts to communicate with Rose.
> 
> bingo words: phenomenon, fear

The Doctor and Jack stood in the middle of Samhain’s main street. Jack still had his blaster drawn, and the Doctor had his fingers pressed to his temples, trying desperately to make contact with Rose. 

“She’s still got her defenses up, and she’s not responding to me yet!” he cried. 

“How are we going to find her, Doc?” Jack asked, looking up and down the street.

“I don’t know!” the Doctor snapped, fear seizing his chest and crushing it with cold, steel fingers. “But there was another voice speaking to her - my voice - and I think she’s being tortured - by me!” He pulled on his face and took a deep breath. “I’ve no idea what they’re doing to her, I don’t know where she is, I’m not sure what to do!”

Jack kept the blaster poised to fire. “Keep trying to make contact, Doc! We have to get to her!”

The Doctor closed his eyes and put his fingers to his temples. He sought out Rose’s consciousness and tapped gently.

Rose sent back the mental equivalent of a headshake, repulsing the tendrils of his mind.

“Rose,” he said quietly, gently, and his mind did the same. The tendrils she had just repulsed gently traced along the wall she’d constructed, soothingly. _I’m coming for you, Rose. I’m coming. Please tell me where you are._

A small hole opened in the wall and she looked out, crying hysterically. _Doctor! Is that you?_

The Doctor took a couple of aimless steps in the middle of main street and Jack jumped to his side. “Have you got her?” he asked before shouting a threat at a malicious-looking scarecrow, aiming the blaster carefully. The Doctor hushed him with a violent swipe of the hand.

 _It’s me, Rose,_ he said gently across their telepathic link. _I am coming for you, as quick as I can. Stay with me. Be strong, Rose._ He motioned for Jack to follow him and took off down the road. Jack skipped behind him, spinning occasionally, watching for trouble.

Rose’s voice was hysterical in his mind, nearly shrieking. She spoke in a stream of consciousness, and even her psychic voice was weeping. _You said you weren’t coming, you said you didn’t care about me, that you didn’t love me and could_ never _love me and that you and Jack would be happier without me and -_

The Doctor was frantically trying to keep her connected to his mind so that he could find her. He motioned for Jack to follow him down an alley to the right, still trying to remain calm for Rose. _I didn’t say those things, Rose. I would never tell you any of that, precious girl, you know that. They’re playing tricks on your mind. Jack and I are on the way. Neither of us would_ ever _leave you._

_But it was you and Jack too and I saw you get on the Tardis and leave, you both said you were glad to be shot of me…_

The Doctor found a door at the end of the alley. “Jack, get it open.” Jack fired the blaster at the lock, then kicked the door down. A werewolf and huge spider snarled and jumped at them: Jack used the blaster to dispatch them quickly.

 _I’d die rather than leave you behind, Rose._ The Doctor struggled to maintain a calming tone in the messages he sent to her, even as more monsters jumped out at the two of them. He couldn’t let Rose feel his fear.

 _Doctor, I’m so afraid. So afraid…_ She cried out to him, weeping, and his hearts broke. 

“Where is she?” Jack yelled, firing his blaster at a black, winged, humanoid creature with rotting flesh dripping from its bones.

“I don’t know! Let me think…”

“Hurry, Doc! We don’t have long!”

_Rose, I know you’re afraid. Please, just be strong for me. Be strong, my precious girl. We’re getting closer to you. I feel you, you’re close. Just stay there, I’m coming. We’re coming._

_You’re not flying away from me?_

“Jack! That door to your right!”

“Sonic it open, Doc, I’ll hold them off!” Jack shot a vampire and another black-winged demon.

 _Never, my precious girl. Never._ The sonic warbled in his hand, and he tried to find the correct setting for the lock. He strained mentally from the effort of being in the present and soothing her.

The Doctor heard another voice, _his_ voice, break through into their connection.

_He lies, Rose…_

The Doctor stopped in his tracks and screwed up his face in concentration, trying to ignore Jack’s shouts and using all of his mental facilities in an effort to override the false Doctor. 

_Listen to me, Rose._ The Doctor could hear his own desperation in the messages he was sending to Rose, but there was nothing for it now. _I swear to you, I will be there soon. Put your defenses back up, and be strong for me. I’m coming for you._

 _He lies…_ the other Doctor hissed, and Rose sobbed.

_Put them up, Rose! I won’t let you down!_

He felt Rose’s defenses go up and could vaguely feel her cowering in terror behind them. “Jack, we have to hurry. This way.” He pointed towards a corridor to the left, dark and dank. “Whoever has her can break into our thoughts and impersonate me. It’s filling her head with thoughts about how you and I don’t care about her and won’t come back for her.”

“What!?”

“I know. I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s a brand new phenomenon. We have to get to her before she breaks and gives them part of her soul. We have to!”

 _I’ll give all of my soul before they touch one tiny bit of hers,_ the Doctor vowed to himself.


	11. Changing Tactics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose refuses to surrender her faith in the Doctor, so Eldritch tries new tactic.

Eldritch was circling her, but Rose still couldn’t see or feel anything. She felt his presence rotating around her, appraising her with a smirk. All she could hear was Eldritch’s voice in her mind, mocking her, alternately very close and then instantly far away as he taunted her.

“He’s not coming for you. He was running back to his blue box.”

“You are a liar,” she said with all the conviction she could muster while her voice shook. “He’s coming for me. He and Jack. You heard him!”

“I heard a man lying to a young girl. Oldest story in the world. In any world.”

“You’re the one lying to me, Eldritch!” she cried, afraid.

“I’m not. There’s nothing for you to go back to. Give us your blood and the bit of your soul, and we’ll let you go.”

“You _lie_ ,” Rose whimpered, curled in fetal position as she floated through space. “I would rather die.”

“As you wish,” Eldritch said suddenly. 

Instantly, Rose found herself tied to a chair and able to see. She’d been brought back to the round, stone room with the altar. She tested her bonds and grunted with the effort of trying to release herself, muttering and crying. 

A door clanged open to her right and her head jerked that way, tendrils of her formerly-perfectly-styled hair whipping into her face and sticking in the tears on her cheeks.

A huge snake slithered out, reminding Rose of Voledmort’s snake, Nagini, and Rose went absolutely rigid in terror. She had the wild, ridiculous thought for a moment of trying to speak to it in parseltongue. Anything, whatever it took, she just desperately wanted to keep it away from her.

Another door clanged open and three men staggered in, clothes tattered and rotting, grey flesh dangling from their bones. She tried to scream, but nothing would come out. 

“Give us what we want, angel,” Eldritch’s disembodied voice said. 

Rose shook her head violently. “No. He’s coming for me.”

The zombies got closer, and the snake circled the bottom of her chair. Rose whimpered.

“Give it to us,” Eldritch persisted. “And you can go back to your Doctor. Try to convince him to love you.”

“ _NO!_ ” 

“Very well. Persuade her, friends.”

The zombies approached, the snake circled her feet, and Rose found the ability to scream, after all.


	12. Invading the Crypt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Jack find the place Rose is being held.
> 
> bingo word: abhorrent

Jack was blasting doors now, no longer waiting for the Doctor to unlock them. It had almost become a routine in the few minutes of the search. Jack would blast open the door and the Doctor would rush in to look for Rose while Jack turned around and shot whatever foul creature was prowling at them. Then he’d turn and blast another door before turning back to the creatures surrounding them. 

The Doctor kicked open the last door, the door at the end of the corridor, and Jack followed him in, skipping backwards, weapon still aimed. 

A man stood in the middle of the room that the Doctor recognized immediately as Eldritch. Several women dressed as Calamity had been lined up against the walls looking at the Doctor with an odd mix of fear, awe and something like amusement. Jack fired at the last creature in the hall, a goblin of some sort, then spun back around so that he was at the Doctor’s side. 

“Well, Doctor!” Eldritch said happily. “You came for her after all. What a delight to meet you and your young friend Jack, of course. What a surprise to see you here: Rose was quite sure you weren’t coming for her.”

“You lie. Rose knows I would never, ever leave her,” the Doctor snarled, and Jack felt a little fear prickle the back of his neck. He’d never heard the Time Lord sound so angry. He didn’t sound merely furious, he sounded _lethal_. “You lied to Rose. You played with her mind.”

Eldritch had to have danger he was in; the witches around the edge of the room certainly did, and started inching away. Eldritch replied in an offhand manner, “Whenever she surrenders what we want, she can leave.”

“Where is she?” the Doctor demanded calmly, quietly, and with deadly intent.

“Nearby,” Eldritch said flippantly, and Jack was amazed at this man’s lack of care for himself. “But you can’t have her yet.”

“She. Is. _Mine._ ” the Doctor said dangerously.

“I have taken her. The laws of possession state that she’s mine.”

Everything this man was saying made Jack’s blood boil. The things Eldritch were implying were abhorrent, and Jack had a feeling he didn’t even know the beginning yet, he'd never fully know what they did to Rose. He was also quite sure that he didn't want to know; Jack wasn't sure he would be able to make rational decisions if the things he was imagining turned out to be true.

He’d never seen the Doctor so perilously close to the edge, never seen him afraid. Not like this. He seriously doubted that there would be any soothing the Time Lord until he lay eyes and hands on Rose. Jack didn’t even want to think about what would happen if he didn’t get to Rose soon. Both Rose and the Doctor were in danger, he sensed.

The Doctor would not survive the loss of Rose. 

They had to get there soon.

Jack aimed his blaster more carefully at that moment, ready to destroy the man in all black claiming to own Rosie.

The Doctor halfheartedly held up his hand to Jack, stopping him. “I’m giving you one chance, one warning. Give me Rose and you can live. Deny me, and you die by your own hand.”

Jack was amazed and a little proud that the Doctor had enough control to give this bastard a chance. He, himself, was not so inclined. His trigger finger twitched. 

The witches around the edge of the room tossed their eyes back and forth between Eldritch and the place where Doctor stood beside Jack, clearly afraid. 

Eldritch laughed, and Jack decided right then that he was going to kill Eldritch as soon as the Doctor said the word. “Would you even want her back now? She doesn’t want you anymore, she believes you aren’t coming, that you and your friend call her worthless have left her behind like so much rubbish…”

_*blam*_

Eldritch smiled in the millionth of a second before he vanished, the blast hitting at the moment he disappeared. 

“Jack!” the Doctor yelled.

“I’m not sorry. That son of a bitch was laughing about hurting Rose. He deserved to die,” Jack said defiantly, his brows knitted furiously and his voice low. “I’ll never fucking be sorry. Never.”

The Doctor nodded at him. “Good lad. Now,” he spun to the witches who cowered, terrified. “Tell me where he was keeping Rose or I’m going to let my trigger-happy friend here go.”

Jack looked around the room, blaster raised. “Care to try me, ladies?”

One of the witches stammered, “p-p-please, sir. I c-can open the door…”

“Do it,” the Doctor snarled. 

The witch muttered some words and flicked her fingers outward towards bare wall. A heavy, wooden, arched door appeared. “y-y-your friend is in there. Please don’t hurt us!” she cried.

The Doctor approached her, getting very close. “Run away,” he said menacingly. “Run away and never come back.”

Jack turned around to the other witches and waved his blaster. “You heard the good Doctor. _Run._ ”


	13. Giving Truth to Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose's faith is proven to be well-placed when the Doctor and Jack rescue her.
> 
> bingo word: haunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've written a companion/epilogue to this story that should be up later today called 'In My Life'. I didn't include it as a final chapter because it works well as a standalone and I wanted people who don't like scary stories to be able to read it. 
> 
> Thank you for reading my first scary story!!

Rose trembled in her chair, her eyes shut as tight as she could get them, sobbing every time she heard the zombie’s rattling gasp near her ear or felt the hissing snake as it brushed her feet. 

_The Doctor is coming for me. He’s coming for me. He told me he would be here. He’s on his way._

Another door opened but Rose didn’t look up, she just moaned with dread. “Please, no,” she whined. “Please, nothing else.”

She hadn’t noticed that the snake and zombies were gone, her terror at the idea of something else coming to hurt her overwhelming her. 

“ _ROSE!_ ”

It was the Doctor’s voice, and it sounded like he were nearby. She shook her head. _No, please, bring in ten more snakes but please don’t make the Doctor say those things to me again…I don’t want to believe..._

“ _Rose!_ ” Her whole body tensed and she sobbed brokenly, nonsense words falling from her lips. He sounded so real. “Jack, untie her. Now!”

She felt hands cupping her cheeks and the familiar, comforting smell of leather and spice and tea and time surrounded her. She shook her head violently, her eyes still shut. The hands on her face, roughened but so gentle - they felt just like the Doctor’s hands - held her still and she felt a cool set of lips kissing her forehead. Another set of hands went to her wrists and she continued to shake. The hands on her face ( _Doctor? Is that really you?_ ) left and almost instantly she felt a warm, heavy weight settling around her shoulders and encasing her in...the Doctor’s scent.

“Rose,” the Doctor’s voice said, right in front of her. Hands came back to her face again when she stopped shaking her head, and he pushed a tendril of hair away from her face. “Oh, Rose. I’m here. We’re here. You’re safe now.”

“You weren’t coming,” she cried, eyes still screwed shut. “You’re not real.”

“Open your eyes, Rose,” he commanded gently. “Open your eyes and look at me.” She shook her head frantically and he got closer to her, kissing her forehead again and saying, “Rose, it’s me. It’s the Doctor. I’m here now. Jack’s here. Oh, my precious girl. Nothing is going to hurt you now. I won’t let them. You’re safe, Rose, just... Please, _look at me_.” His voice was gentle but she could hear the desperation and fear entwined with intense relief and joy.

Her hands came free and hung limply by her side for only a moment before she wrapped them around herself protectively. Rose felt someone else kneel beside her and cringed away. “You can’t be real. This is another trick,” she croaked. A hand reached up to stroke her hair, and she shuddered. “Please...please don’t…”

“Rosie,” said the voice to her left, and it sounded so much like Jack, the kind and loving Jack she knew... “It’s alright. We’re here. It’s time to go.” 

“Rose,” said the Doctor’s voice, “please, Rose. Please look at me. It’s time for us to run.”

She opened an eye just a sliver and there he was, concern furrowing his brow. “Doctor?” she said hesitantly. 

His face lit up like the sun and he stroked the side of her hair. “It’s me, Rose. I'm here. That's my girl, open your eyes. We're here. It's time to go home. I’m here, my precious girl.” Rose had never heard his voice so shaky.

She looked to her side, to the place that voice she thought Jack’s came from. He was sitting on his knees, smiling brightly at her. “It’s us, Rosie. It’s really us.”

“You came,” she wept, her body convulsing with the relief she felt and curling around her arms. “It’s really you.”

The Doctor stroked his thumb across her cheek, catching the tear that had fallen and wiping it away. The last few hours had been hell for him, and he couldn’t imagine what they must have been like for the sweet girl in front of him. Rose was safe, though, he’d found her, and in five billion languages he couldn’t find the words to express his gratitude and joy. 

“‘Course I did, Rose. I’ll _never_ leave you behind, love.”

She launched herself into his arms with a wail, and he caught her, pulling her close against his chest where he knew she’d be safe. The Doctor kissed her hair, unable to stop himself. 

“I knew you’d come. I believed you would...but that other voice, the other one...it sounded so much like you.” She clutched the lapels of his jacket, trying to pull him closer, and the Doctor tightened his arms. “I started to believe it…to doubt you…”

The Doctor stood and lifted her, turning around to sit in the chair, settling her in his lap.

“Shush, now, I’m here, Rose. I’m here.”

“You said...it said you weren’t coming. It said you didn’t love me and I was useless…” she bawled into his jumper. 

The Doctor tightened his arms around her and rumbled, “It lied, Rose.”

“I started to doubt you, Doctor,” she cried, and the Doctor could feel his jumper growing wetter. “I didn’t know what to believe.”

The Doctor set her away from him just a bit and tilted her chin up so that he could see her. Her hair had fallen into disarray, the beautiful style she’d so hard worked on utterly ruined. Her eyes were red, bloodshot and swollen. Her mascara had left great dark stains under her eyes and there were streaks down her face where tears had cut through carefully applied makeup. 

Rose looked at him with a vulnerability he’d never seen in her before. Raw, agonizing torment looked out at him from behind her eyes, and he knew that the voices haunted her and would for a while. They had tried to make her believe all the very worst things about herself. Yet in her eyes, in her precious, beautiful, caramel-colored eyes, the Doctor saw her faith in him; the deep-seated knowledge that he would return for her, that he did care about her...he could see her confidence in him. She had been rattled - severely shaken - but she’d believed in him. The Doctor recognized a strength he doubted Eldritch had counted on. Rose Tyler was a force to be reckoned with, and she’d fought back. 

Then shame crossed her eyes, and she looked down, shaking.

“Rose. Look at me.”

He held her chin in place with his thumb and forefinger gently. She needed to understand what he was about to tell her. He needed to make sure she knew. He stroked his thumb across her chin and she raised her eyes.

“I understand that you doubted, and I don't blame you. Anyone would have doubts, but most people would have had them right away. Not you, though, Rose. Not my girl,” he stroked the side of her face fondly again, pride in his voice. “You were so brave, Rose. But I need you to know this, to know it deep in your bones,” he slid his thumb along her cheekbone again, then gently guided her face so that she was looking at him fully. 

“Anyone or anything that tries to tell you that I don’t care about you, that I don’t love you...you can automatically discount that thing as a lying bastard.” Rose’s shoulders shook with a sob, and he finished. “There is no world, no galaxy, no universe in which I wouldn't care about you and leave you behind.”

Rose’s eyes spilled over again, and he pulled her back into his chest, wrapping his arms around her and tucking her head under his chin. She wept quietly, and Jack put his hand on her back soothingly, rubbing a circle. He and the Doctor’s eyes met, and a wealth of messages, emotions, vows and decisions were made soundlessly.

“You ready to go, Rosie?" Jack asked soothingly. “Back to the Tardis?”

She nodded against the Doctor’s chest and he stood, still holding her. She threw her arms around his neck and he held her there for a minute before she stiffened, indicating she wanted to get down. The Doctor wasn’t so ready to let go but he did as she indicated. When she was upright he helped her slip her arms into the arms of his jacket, seeing it hang on her loosely and feeling irrationally proud that she was wearing it, his coat, that she'd accepted leather armor that he could provide her. 

Once her arms were in the jacket, the Doctor tugged the dangling sleeve up until he was able to hold her left hand in his and put his right arm around her shoulders protectively. He nodded to Jack, and the Captain pulled his weapon and stepped in front of them, prepared to eliminate anyone who would try to get between them and the Tardis. 

The Doctor tugged on her shoulder just to get her a bit closer and she let go of his hand, slipping her arms around his waist. “C’mon, love. Let’s get you back home. Back to the Tardis.”


End file.
